This is a lesson about the phenomenon of ice and about scientific inquiry. Learners will ask scientific questions about ice, will delve into the nature of science, embark upon scientific inquiry, and will practice scientific enterprise. Activities...(View More) include thinking and acting like scientists and keeping scientific journals. Also includes an activity called "Act Out the Science" - a whole group participatory activity in which students act out the parts of a story. An optional small group version is included in which students act out their own stories. This is the introductory lesson for Exploring Ice in the Solar System.(View Less)

Learners will use trays of sand and cups of water to recreate surface features seen in images of Mars. This is activity 5 of 9 in Mars and Earth: Science Learning Activities for After School. Note: The Mars image set that is needed to do this...(View More) activity is on p. 37 of the guide (see Related & Supplemental Resources to the right).(View Less)

This is an activity about modeling the effect of wind on a sandy surface. Learners will use trays of sand and straws to recreate surface features of images of Mars. Participants test their ideas about how some of the features on Mars might have been...(View More) produced. This is activity 4 of 9 in Mars and Earth: Science Learning Activities for After School. Note: The Mars image set that is needed to do this activity is on p. 37 of the guide (see Related & Supplemental Resources to the right).(View Less)

Learners will use a variety of resources to conduct research to try to find answers to the questions they generated in previous activities. They continue to work the way scientists do by communicating what they learned from their research about Mars...(View More) and present questions they still have and that others might want to think about researching in the future. This is activity 8 of 9 in Mars and Earth: Science Learning Activities for After School.(View Less)

This is a lesson that sets up the final project for the Astronomy unit. Learners will research the requirements for human survival and analyze the planets and moons in our solar system to assess the ability of each to support human survival. The...(View More) lesson models scientific inquiry using the 5E instructional model and includes teacher notes, prerequisite concepts, common misconceptions, student journal and reading. This is lesson 12 in the Astro-Venture Astronomy Unit. The lessons are designed for educators to use in conjunction with the Astro-Venture multimedia modules.(View Less)

Learners will use trays of sand and a variety of solid objects to model the effects of "impactors" on the surface. This is activity 6 of 9 in Mars and Earth: Science Learning Activities for After School. Note: The Mars image set that is needed to...(View More) do this activity is on p. 37 of the guide (see Related & Supplemental Resources to the right).(View Less)

This is a lesson about spacecraft design. Learners will use the information learned in previous lessons, combined with their own creativity and problem-solving skills, to design and test a parachuting probe that will withstand a fall from a high...(View More) point, land intact, be able to descend slowly, float in liquid, and cost the least to launch into space. Extensions provide an option if the teacher has limited time, and invite the students to simulate other experiments that will be carried out by the Huygens probe. This is lesson 9 of 12 in the Mission to Saturn Educators Guide, Reading Writing Rings, for grades 3-4.(View Less)